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Johannesburg - The #ProteaFire campaign was officially launched to South African cricket fans on Thursday evening during SuperSport's live broadcast of Thursday Night Live with Robert Marawa.
VIDEO:Watch the Proteas get fired up!
#ProteaFire is all about the Proteas team identity and culture. It’s about their team ethos, their mantra and their belief in each other and the nation. It’s their mission statement.
Cricket South Africa has worked closely with the national team over the past year to make the #ProteaFire campaign come alive.
"This is a truly unique and authentic campaign because it is exactly what the Proteas believe in.
"It comes directly from the team and it is no creative or marketing campaign," explained CSA chief executive, Haroon Lorgat.
"No country has been through what South Africa has and our country needs all the inspiration it can get.
"Clearly the Proteas are our inspiration. As a team they have invested time to understand what it means for them to represent South Africa and now the team wishes all South Africans to know more about who they are, whom they play for and what it means to be a Protea.
"We respected their wishes and that’s why we got right behind them to ensure this campaign came to life," added Lorgat.
Proteas ODI captain, AB de Villiers, is excited that the team identity has come to life.
"This is a special day for the Proteas," De Villiers said.
"#ProteaFire has lived within the team environment for the last four years and today we get to share it with our fans and our country.
"We hope this campaign will give the 60 million South Africans we represent a better idea of the people we are, and what the Proteas team environment is about.
"We have created an incredibly special environment and we look forward to sharing more of it in the lead up to an important season for us."
JP Duminy hopes South Africans will be able to draw inspiration from #ProteaFire.
"#ProteaFire is about humility, resilience, courage, adaptability, unity and respect; these are key attributes of our rich and diverse country.
"#ProteaFire isn’t just about what happens on the field, it’s also about how we carry ourselves during our daily tasks.
"We hope that we can inspire and help shape our country by our actions on and off the field."
Hashim Amla, Proteas Test captain, said: "Despite the reality of our diverse backgrounds, religious beliefs and social upbringings, our common understanding has created a common purpose in the team that is built on our passion to represent South Africa.
"The real task is to get people to behave in a new way of thinking, rather than to think themselves into a new way of behaving."
Proteas T20 captain, Faf du Plessis said: "The Proteas have developed an amazing team culture and the joy of representing South Africa is the driving force in making us want to play for all South Africans”
"Graeme Smith deserves much credit for having initiated this culture in the Proteas setup during his time as their leader," concluded Lorgat
The #ProteaFire campaign has the following objectives:
• It is an opportunity to authentically communicate to South Africans what #ProteaFire is and what the Proteas stand for.
• Unlike our other national teams, the Proteas spend around 160 days of the year away from home but their hearts stay in South Africa. Playing for South Africa is their inspiration no matter where they are.
• Many people will look at the Protea flower differently. Not many South Africans know about the resilience, adaptability and will to survive of their national flower, the Protea.
• It’s the wish of the Proteas that during the course of the campaign South Africans feel they have got to know the team better; that they have a better understanding of who represents them; that they are proud that these are the chosen players; and that the players are extremely proud to represent their country and people.
The initial #ProteaFire campaign will see a strong focus on the theme “What is #ProteaFire”.
For the next seven weeks, fans will see the message played on Social Media and TV entrenching the team’s belief.
They will also be seeing various other clips of players explaining their thoughts on #ProteaFire and what it means to them, alongside inserts highlighting #ProteaFire moments.
This will be followed by the launch of a second TV communiqué in the first week of December which seeks to integrate the Proteas World Cup campaign with the players wish to get the country right behind the Proteas.
Phase 3, of bringing the #ProteaFire to life, kicks off in February next year when the Proteas depart for the World Cup and cricket jersey Friday is introduced for the duration of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
